Energetics And Space Use Of Female Moose During Winter In Alaska

Abstract

Space use and resource selection are a linked processes that are important determinants of individual and population fitness. Knowledge of those processes is important to understanding wildlife-habitat relationships. Knowledge of this information can improve the efficacy of wildlife management programs and provide baseline information in the face of changing environments. I present research findings investigating energetic and space use parameters of a population of female moose inhabiting two distinct, but adjacent, landscape types on the Kenai Peninsula, Alaska. I also examine how the inferences we derive from estimated space use patterns are influenced by the metrics we use to model space use by evaluating four contemporary home range models (Brownian bridges, fixed kernels, minimum convex polygons, and local convex hulls).